I'll Be There
by PMGreyStreet
Summary: Following the death of Colin Amy is consumed with grief to the point where she can barely function. Andy is an outcast to the rest of the town. What will Ephram's role in this tragedy be?
1. Starting Over

This fanfic is taking place immediately after the end of "The Last of Summer". Actually it starts out about 20 seconds before the episode ended from Ephram's point of view. I hope you enjoy it. Review if you'd like, but I'm not one of those authors that needs them to continue writing, I just appreciate them. Thanks for reading and Enjoy.  
  
Ephram couldn't help but be discouraged by the conversation he just had with Amy. She was taking Colin's death harder then he ever thought she would. This radical blaming of his father for something she knew he couldn't control was unlike her. But deep in his heart he knew she would eventually accept the events of the summer and she would learn to move on, or at the very least to function with the rest of Everwood.  
  
The thing that worried him was that she would alienate more people on her way to recovery. Ephram was sure that he would never let himself become detached from her, no matter what she said or did. He knew that now, more than ever, she would need someone she could trust; he silently hoped that person could be him.  
  
He checked his back pocket to make sure that he had grabbed his wallet off the table and found it to be missing. He quickly turned around and headed back to the table where he thought he left it. It was the same place where he had just tried to comfort Amy. He just hoped that he made her understand that he knew what she was going through.   
  
As he approached the table he immediately stopped as he saw Amy running down the stairs, with a smile on her face. Obviously shocked, Ephram wondered what had suddenly made her so happy. He continued approaching the railing and looked out onto the pool deck at Amy who was smiling like someone who had just won a million bucks. She was gazing towards the diving board with a pleasant serene expression on her face that caused him to smile.  
  
However her smile was short-lived as it fell to a dejected look, almost as if something great was given to her for a moment and then snatched away.  
  
It was then that Ephram realized that he had seen that look before...on his father. 'After Mom died, he'd always been in that daze...when he'd see her.'  
  
He turned away, back towards his father's car not wanting Amy to know that he saw her.   
  
It was then that Ephram knew it was going to take a lot more than time to help Amy escape her grief from Colin's death.   
  
-------------------------  
  
"EPHRAM!!!!!" yelled a voice that sounded like it was miles away.  
  
"Ughhh, what?" muttered Ephram as he began to wake up.  
  
"EPHRAM GET UP!!!" came the voice again.  
  
The realization then hit him, today was the first day of school. He quickly rolled over to look at his alarm clock and barely had time to mutter, "Shit," as he began to get dressed. He quickly threw on a pair of clothes that he had laid out the night before, crossed into the bathroom and peered into the mirror while washing his face. His hair actually didn't look to bad so he decided not to mess with it and rushed downstairs.  
  
"You've got about five minutes before you've got to be out of here." stated Dr. Brown.  
  
He sat down at the kitchen counter and saw a sight that never ceased to amaze him, eggs that looked edible, and perhaps, if it was a good day, would taste good.  
  
"Wow, what's this, three days in a row that I haven't had to have cereal for breakfast?" joked Ephram.  
  
"It'll be the last if you keep waking up late. Eat." retorted Dr. Brown.  
  
For a moment there was silence until Ephram turned to his father and asked him a question that he had been dying to know the answer to since last night.   
  
"Dad?" asked Ephram.  
  
"Yes?" replied Andy  
  
He paused a second to figure out how he wanted to phrase his question.   
  
"How did you get over losing Mom, I mean, until you didn't see her anymore?" asked Ephram.  
  
A thoughtful look encompassed Andy's face as he lowered his head, slightly embarrassed, but also pondering the question. What was it that made things seem at least some version of normal after Julia died?  
  
"To be honest Ephram, I really don't know. Maybe it was partly that you and Delia needed me, partly because Colin needed me. I guess I just realized that I couldn't put my life on hold anymore and just started to move on. I had responsibilities to so many people that I just had to take care of, I think that's what finally woke me back up."  
  
Ephram gazed back at his father, respecting what he had just said because he could understand how he felt. He too knew exactly what that was like. He himself had to take on the role of father for a while during the time in which Andy had to sort things out himself. In essence he had no choice to move on due to his sister's well being.   
  
It was Andy's question that brought him back to their conversation.   
  
"It's Amy isn't it?"  
  
"Well yeah, I mean she's having a rough time, well obviously you know that. But she's not seeing Colin or anything." he lied.  
  
"The only advice I can give you is that she's going to need someone to talk to more than you could ever imagine. At times you might have no idea what to say, but trust me, to have someone to listen to, at times, can be all a person needs."  
  
"Thanks Dad." said Ephram solemnly.  
  
Ephram took a few more bites of egg and gulped down the rest of his orange juice. He checked his watch and saw that his conversation with his father was probably going to make him a few minutes late.   
  
'I hope I'm a few minutes late more than once this year,' thought Ephram.  
  
Andy saw Ephram check his watch, turned to his son and asked, "I can drive you to school if you'd like?"  
  
Ephram looked back at his father with a thoughtful look and uncharacteristically said, "Sure."  
  
Ephram picked up his backpack slung it over and tossed his father the keys to the SUV.   
  
'What a difference a year makes,' he thought. 


	2. A Little Worry

---A little note from the author quickly....In my hatred for the week that passes between Everwood episodes, I decided to take this up to hold my obsession at bay. It's basically just another version of what the second season of Everwood could hold---  
  
----------------------------  
  
Ephram pulled his bike out of the trunk of his father's SUV and shut the trunk of the foreign made vehicle. He stepped onto the curb, waving to his Dad as he drove away towards his office. Ephram turned around and started wheeling his bike towards the bike rack. He watched all the students meander towards the entrances, many stopping along the way to talk to friends they hadn't seen in a while.  
  
Seeing as Ephram wasn't really friends with any of the people he saw, he quickly locked up his bike and started towards the entrance of Peak County High School. Looking across the lawn he saw Amy also walking towards the entrance. Looking at her he could tell that she was still having a rough time, her face was blank as if she was in a whole different place. Some of the kids, way too many in Ephram's opinion, stared at her as she walked by, not saying anything, even a simple hello. Even Kayla, who obviously saw her, didn't bother to say hello. She just stared at her in an obvious almost humiliating way.   
  
Naturally Ephram wasn't going to have any of this. He hurried up until he was right beside her and turned to speak to her.  
  
"All of these people aren't looking at you, it's my incredible good looks that have them all enthralled," said Ephram jokingly with a straight face.  
  
She said nothing and kept on walking as if he wasn't there.  
  
Concerned he tapped her on the shoulder and spoke again.  
  
"Amy," still no response, "Hey Amy."  
  
It was on the second try that she finally noticed him staring at her with a concerned look on his face.  
  
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked in a soft voice.  
  
"Oh...Hi Ephram," she said shaking her head with a look as if she was caught off guard. "Yeah I'm fine, just didn't get too much sleep last night and all," she said the statement just ending awkwardly.  
  
"Yeah...I understand," replied Ephram as they entered the school and started towards their homerooms.  
  
"So, where's homeroom for you?" asked Amy anxiously.  
  
Ephram thought for a second and realized that he had no idea.   
  
"Good question," he remarked as he pulled out his schedule, "It would appear to be in A-9." said Ephram with a smirk.  
  
"Well then, guess we don't have to say bye just yet," replied Amy, confirming that they were going to the same place.  
  
They entered the classroom and took their seats, Amy taking a seat in the back undoubtedly to avoid the stares of her classmates. Ephram slid into the seat in front of her and began to listen to the onslaught of the usual first day of school routine. He never understood why they went over the same thing each year. First they give you umpteen million papers to have signed by your parents. Next, they welcome you back heartily, which was something he never understood. Everyone knew that no one wanted to be in school on the first day. The weather was always beautiful and you were constantly thinking about the fun which the summer held. Well, maybe school was a welcome distraction for some this year.  
  
Leaning back in his chair he whispered to Amy, "I think I'd rather be working back at the pool."  
  
She acknowledged his joke with a small upturning of her mouth that couldn't even be described as a smile.  
  
Ephram turned back around in his seat, a frown settling down onto his face. Of course the joke wasn't supposed to be laugh out loud funny, but he hoped to get her to cheer up a little. Watching her in that daze was eating him up in a way that he never expected. He wanted to be able to help make the pain go away, but he knew that was impossible. The sadness of losing someone you love can't be thrown away like a stray piece of trash.  
  
The other thing that was weighing him down was the fact that she was so unwilling to forgive his father. Her hurt was understandable and so were the outbursts, but she never seemed like the person to blame someone for what they truly couldn't change. Ephram knew his father had done the right thing in respecting Colin's wishes, regrettably that didn't do anything to assuage Amy's feelings.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Andy Brown pulled up to his usual parking spot alongside Dr. Harold Abbott's as usual. He always found it remarkable that they managed to arrive at work at the exact same times.   
  
"Doctor," said Harold with a nod to his colleague.  
  
"Good Morning Harold," replied Andy while locking the door of his car. "I see you've got quite a busy schedule today."  
  
Looking towards Dr. Abbott's office there was a line of at least fifteen patients long waiting to be treated. The outward showings of dislike towards Dr. Brown seemed to decrease a small amount as time passed since Colin's death. Unfortunately, the results of his death still seemed to be hurting his medical practice.  
  
Dr. Brown had treated a very small amount of patients since Colin's death. Most were people who couldn't afford health insurance, or those who did not care for Dr. Abbott. Others were patients who Andy seemed to have a profound effect on, such as the Reverend among others.  
  
"That does appear to be the situation," said Dr. Abbott. "Andy, why don't you drop by my office later, I'd like to talk to you for a bit."  
  
Andy looked like he was about to refuse but his thoughts got the better of him. He knew he had open up to the community, if someone as closed minded as Ephram saw it, then it was sure to be true.  
  
"Why don't you stop by here instead," replied Andy with a grin. "We're not exactly filled to the brim."  
  
With a nod Dr. Abbott turned around and began another day of treating the medical maladies of Everwood, Colorado.  
  
----------------------  
  
'Finally, it's time for lunch,' thought Ephram as his stomach rumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.  
  
He had been late getting out of his last class due to his teacher rambling on and on about her summer, as if any of her students actually cared. He finally got to the cafeteria with barely enough time to eat. Walking through the lunch line he wished he had remembered to pack a lunch. Getting what he thought was a sandwich, very chunky mashed potatoes and an iced tea, he walked to the register and paid.   
  
"Wow I just paid $3.00 for something that Dad could have screwed up better," he said to himself, but out loud.   
  
"That does look pretty bad," commented Bright as he crossed paths with Ephram after buying a soda.  
  
"I can't even stretch that into a joke at your expense...because sadly it's the truth," said Ephram with a solemn smile.  
  
"Well hey, you mind if I sit with you?" asked Bright.  
  
"Uhh...yeah sure if you want to." replied Ephram awkwardly wondering if there was an underlying reason for it.  
  
They sat down and after thinking about it for a few seconds Ephram assumed it had something to do with Amy.  
  
"So I take it you want me to talk to Amy about something?" questioned Ephram.  
  
"No man, I just figured we could hang out for lunch, seeing as we worked together for the summer without killing each other.  
  
He had a good point thought Ephram. Working together coupled by the loss of Colin definitely seemed to relieve the hatred between the two young men to a point where you might call them acquaintances.  
  
"Oh, ok. Didn't feel like hanging out with the crowd today?" asked Ephram.  
  
"Actually to tell you the truth I've had a little less in common with those guys lately."  
  
Ephram looked into Bright's eyes and suddenly realized what the rest of the world seemed to be missing. He was hurting just as much as the rest of them, he just hid it exceptionally well.  
  
"Yeah...I know what you mean," he said.  
  
It was his next question that surprised even himself as he asked it.  
  
"So, how are you doing?"  
  
Bright didn't seem phased by Ephram's sudden concern and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I really don't know, I mean sometimes I feel fine and other times I just want to get away from everything, you know what I mean?"   
  
"Bright for once, I know exactly what you mean," as soon as Ephram uttered the sentence the bell rang.  
  
"Well, if you ever want to talk or...well whatever, just give me a call. Amy has my number, and tell her the same thing too, alright?" said Ephram  
  
"Yeah...and thanks," said Bright  
  
With a nod Ephram slung his bag over his shoulder and left for his next class. Unexpected as it was, he was glad that he and Bright were able to tolerate each other. He could tell that Bright didn't blame his father, and Ephram hoped that maybe Bright could help Amy to get over her anger.  
  
---------------------------  
  
Chorus, Amy and Ephram's hated non-elective elective, was 8th period this year. Ephram made it to the class just as the bell began to ring. Everyone was standing around in groups discussing their summers and complaining about their first day of school. Gazing around the room, Ephram noticed that Amy was nowhere to be found. Knowing that it was very unlike her to be late to a class he quickly began to worry about where she was.   
  
The chorus teacher finally arrived five minutes after the bell rang and started to take attendance. He had just started to think of a plan to get out of class without getting in trouble when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in," called the music instructor in a sweet voice.  
  
"Hi, I'm sorry to be a bother but the main office needs to see Ephram Brown immediately," said Bright with the utmost level of pleasantness.  
  
"It's no problem young man, just going over the class overview today anyway, you can go Mr. Brown." said Mrs. Edwards, completely oblivious of the scam she was witnessing.  
  
Grabbing his backpack Ephram quickly walked out of the room with a look of confusion towards Bright. After hurriedly shutting the door behind Ephram, Bright started running immediately.  
  
"Come on man, we've gotta hurry!" yelled Bright who was already halfway down the hall.  
  
---A review would be nice, or you could email me at PMGreyStreet@hotmail.com--- 


End file.
